讓我知道 - Let me know

[necroflux]

I just learned today that 讓我知道, literally translated as "let me know", is directly equivalent to "let me know" in English. Right now this makes no sense to me.. "let me" implies that there is permission involved with the receiver "knowing" something, which makes sense lingually from a politeness standpoint but it's odd that two languages would both choose to phrase this in the same way. Does this strike anyone else as an odd coincidence? Are there other such odd equlivalents? I know I've come across at least one before..

[L-F-J]

And why is this odd?

[autumn]

I think that in this case 让 is being used in the same way as 使 and doesn't have anything to do with permission.

Interesting thought though and I could quite easily be wrong.

[skylee]

I think it is more like an 歐化句子 ...

[Ferno]

yeah I've been finding a few of these equivilants too. They're not common but they're surprising when you do find them.

another thing that was on the forum before is the "na3 li" (where) most response to compliments, which has an equivilant in several European languages including German, Polish and Russian

[necroflux]

It's odd because the intent of the phrase is really "tell me later". But in both languages they phrase it as "let me know".

[L-F-J]

I didn't know that's the intent in either Chinese or English. I think that has to do with the time. Sometimes you'll ask someone to let you know now, and just say "let me know". Same as in Chinese, "rang wo zhidao". But it can also refer to the future as in if you wanted to say "after you find out, let me know". Same as in Chinese, "ni faxian le yihou, jiu rang wo zhidao". Unless you can't say this in Chinese, but I think you can. I don't see how this is odd. Anyway.. maybe I'm missing the point.

[semantic nuance]

I think that in this case 让 is being used in the same way as 使

讓 is not always equal to 使. 讓 can mean make or allow. When it means 'make', it is usually equal to 使. Even so, you cannot replace every word meaning 'make' 讓 into 使. You'll have to use it according to the context.

Examples:

When 讓 means 'allow/let', you cannot use 使

讓我哭吧! (Let me cry! or Allow me to cry)

讓我來吧! (Allow me.)

When 讓 means 'make', you can use 使, but not always.

他真讓我頭疼 is equal to 他真使我頭疼. (both meaning 'make')

Hope it helps!